So recently i’ve been baking to stave away boredom, and i’m actually getting wooden-spoon induced callouses on my hands due to not owning an electric mixer, so i’ll probably have to invest in one preeettty soon. I was doing my daily rounds of the internet when i came across this recipe from http://www.lauraashley.com for The Hummingbird Bakery Earl Grey Tea Cupcakes.
I’m a huge fan of the Hummingbird Bakery as i think their cupcake recipes are the most fool-proof of the many i’ve tried and since i’m a huge fan of tea, and cupcakes, i figured this would be a fun Thursday morning endeavor.
Makes 12-16 cupcakes
For the sponge:
3 Earl Grey teabags
3tbsp just-boiled water
80g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
280g (10 oz) caster sugar
240g (8 ½ oz) plain flour
1tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
200ml (7fl oz) whole milk
2 large eggs
For the frosting:
50ml (1 ¾ fl oz) whole milk
500g (1lb 2oz) icing sugar
160g (5 ½ oz) unsalted butter, softened
One or two 12-hole deep muffin tins
- Place the teabags in a bowl and add the just-boiled water, then leave to brew for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas mark 5, and line a muffin tin with muffin cases. Use a hand-held electric whisk or freestanding electric mixer with paddle attachment to mix the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt on a low speed until the texture of fine breadcrumbs.
- Pour the milk into a jug, add the eggs and whisk by hand. Add the brewed tea, squeezing every last drop from the teabags into the milk mixture, then set the teabags aside for the frosting.
- Pour three-quarters of the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix on a low speed to combine. Then mix on a medium speed until smooth and thick. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the remaining milk mixture and beat until all the ingredients have come together and the batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter between the paper cases, filling each two-thirds full. If there is batter left over, spoon it into more cases in a separate tin. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until risen and springy to the touch, then leave to cool slightly in the tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully.
- While the cupcakes are cooking, place the used teabags in a small bowl with the milk for the frosting and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the teabags and give them a good squeeze to extract maximum flavour.
- Using the electric whisk or freestanding mixer with paddle attachment, whisk the icing sugar with the butter on a low speed until no large lumps of butter remain and the mixture is still powdery. Pour in the tea-infused milk while mixing slowly, then increase the speed to high and whisk until soft and fluffy.
- Divide the frosting between the cold cupcakes, smoothing the tops and swirling with a palette knife.
The ingredients and method of the Hummingbird Bakery are easily accessible and easy to follow, so the cupcakes turned out rather amazing. I’d even go so far as saying that they were tied second place as the ‘best cupcakes i’ve ever made’.
The earl grey tea flavour was realllly subtle, so if you want more of a bergamot-ty hit, increase the number of teabags to brew. The one thing i found surprising was that this Hummingbird recipe actually made about 18 cupcakes, despite the recipes in their recipe book only making about 9, which was quite a nice surprise.
I also halved the amounts in the icing mixture as i KNOW the Hummingbird recipes overcompensate for their icing, and since i don’t like my cupcakes overly sweet, i end up with a lot leftover. The halved amount was more than sufficient to cover all 18 cupcakes, and i was more than happy with the texture and flavour of the icing.
DEFINITE must try to bake!
onenightkebabstand 